Thanks for visiting our Hot News pagePlease visit our
Rumors page for all the scuttlebutt. If you have some
news, or can supply more information about one listed here,
e-mail us with as much supporting information as possible
and wemay post it. User agreement & disclaimer. Newer rumors supercede older ones of the same topic. Go to our
forums to discuss any hot news.

Nadeau to sub for injured Benson at
Dover Jerry Nadeau (No. 10 Valvoline Pontiac) is set to
substitute again for injured Johnny Benson in the MBNA Platinum 400.
Nadeau subbed for Benson at Charlotte, where he finished 28th. He
returns to Dover, where he finished second in the September event last
season. "I'm just helping out Johnny and the team," Nadeau said. "My
job is just to come in here and wheel this thing as hard as I can and
try to get these guys a win. That's all I think about. This is
Johnny's ride and I'm not here to impress anybody else. I just want to
do a good job for them." Benson, who has been performing therapy
including water aerobics, is expected back at next week's Pocono 500
after sustaining a broken rib and two cracked ribs from a May 3
accident in the NASCAR Busch Series race at Richmond. "This watching
isn't a whole lot of fun," Benson said. "I think I could run Dover but
that is a pretty tough track on your body plus at the speeds we run
there you just don't crash easy. The last thing I want to do is get
caught up in a wreck there and make this injury worse and miss even
more time. Pocono is a bit easier on the body and I think that's where
the doctors feel my return would be best."

5/29/02

New Cosworth CART engine hits dynoUPDATE We have added a picture of
the first 'mule' Cosworth XG engine courtesy of Cosworth
5/23/02 - Cosworth Racing has secured its future involvement in American Racing
with the announcement of a new engine program for 2003 and beyond. The
Cosworth XG - a derivative of the 2000 CART Manufacturer's
Championship winning Cosworth XF - will make its debut in CART at the
beginning of the 2003 season and development work on the new
powerplant is currently running ahead of schedule. The XG program will
sit alongside Cosworth's other major activities, which include; F1,
WRC, Motorbike racing and the Commercial Engineering Group.
More

5/29/02

CART reduces Chicago and
Rockingham to two day events As reported
previously here on AR1 - In a continuing effort to support
teams competing in the CART FedEx Championship Series,
Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. will shorten race weekend
formats for Round 7 in Chicago and Round 15 in England from
three-day to two-day events. "The decision on Chicago and
Rockingham was made not only to assist our teams with cost
cutting issues, but to increase the excitement surrounding our
events with two days of non-stop Champ Car action," said CART
Vice President of Racing Operations John Lopes. "Implementing
this new format further supports our commitment to our teams
and focus on growing the CART FedEx Championship Series." The
CART Grand Prix of Chicago at Chicago Motor Speedway will be
contested the weekend of June 29-30, with practice and
qualifying on Saturday and warm-up and the race on Sunday in
the new two-day format, rather than the traditional three-day
event. The CART Grand Prix of Chicago airs live on CBS Sunday,
June 30 at 3:30 p.m. ET. The weekend schedule for the
Rockingham 500 CART FedEx Championship Series race at
Rockingham Motor Speedway in Corby, England September 13-14
will be a two-day event as well, only with practice and
qualifying on Friday and warm-up and the race on Saturday. The
Rockingham 500 airs live on SPEED Channel Saturday, September
14 at 8:30 am ET. CART

5/29/02

Dixon confirmed at Team Target
Target Chip Ganassi Racing announced today that the team has
signed second-year CART FedEx Championship Series driver Scott
Dixon for the remainder of the 2002 season. Dixon will team
with Kenny Brack and Bruno Junqueira and drive the No. 44
Target Toyota/Lola/Bridgestone car this weekend at the
Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, WI. Team owner Chip Ganassi is
excited to have Dixon join his stable of drivers. "There's no
question that Scott is one of the most talented drivers in
open-wheel racing today," Ganassi said. "One look at his
resume and his performance on the track speaks for itself. He
has proven that he can win races and championships, which is
the reason why we signed him. Our goal this year is to win the
CART championship and Scott gives us another legitimate shot
of reaching that goal." Dixon brings an impressive resume to
the team. From 1994 to 2000, the 21-year old from New Zealand
won a championship in every racing series that he competed in.
Last year, Dixon captured the Jim Trueman Rookie-of-the-Year
award in the CART FedEx Championship series. He became the
youngest winner (20 years, 9 months) in major open-wheel
racing history when he won his third career start at Nazareth
last year. He also captured the 2000 Dayton Indy Lights
Championship. Dixon is eager to get started with his new team.
"It's great to be a part of Team Target," Dixon said. "This
team has shown over the past decade that they know how to win
races and that's what I'm all about…winning races. It's
unfortunate that things didn't work out with PWR, but it's
exciting to stay with the Toyota family. They have committed a
lot of resources to building a world-class engine and I can't
wait to get up to Milwaukee and begin this exciting new
chapter in my career."

5/29/02Industry News

Ford appoints Volvo Exec to head
Premier
Ford Motor Co. on Tuesday named Peter Horbury executive director of
design for the Premier Automotive Group. He will be responsible for
overseeing future product design strategy and design processes for the
London-based collection of premium brands Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land
Rover and Volvo, the automaker said. His appointment is effective
immediately. Horbury has been design director of Volvo Car Corp. since
1991, overseeing studios in Sweden, Spain and California. "The
creation of this new position reflects the importance of design within
the Premier Automotive Group," J Mays, Ford's vice president of
design, said in a statement. Horbury, 52, is expected to oversee the
PAG's design portfolio and focus on how the brands separate design
philosophies are reflected in their public images. The world's No. 2
automaker announced the departure of the head of PAG last month.
Wolfgang Reitzle left as head of the group to become chief executive
of the German engineering company Linde AG. Mark Fields, president and
chief executive of Mazda Motor Corp., will take over on July 1.
AP

5/29/02

Mario Andretti Grand Marshall for
Winston Cup race at Sears Point Mario Andretti, one of the
first professional drivers ever to compete at Sears Point Raceway,
will return to Sonoma Valley to help christen the newly modernized
facility as Grand Marshal of the Dodge/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Winston
Cup weekend, June 20-23. Andretti, the only driver in history to win
races in five different decades, drove in the first - and only - Indy
Car race at Sears Point Raceway in 1970, just two years after the
facility opened in 1968. It was Andretti's only competitive appearance
at Sears Point, but he will return during the NASCAR Winston Cup
weekend as the facility takes the wraps off its two-year $50 million
modernization project. "Mario's name is legendary and his achievements
are unmatched in our sport," said Steve Page, president and general
manager at Sears Point Raceway. "In a year when we celebrate so many
new things at this facility, it is an honor to be joined by a
competitor who represents Sears Point's rich racing tradition."

5/29/02

Shakeup at RCR After a
phenomenal rookie season in which he finished 9th in the Winston Cup
points, you can finally say the honeymoon is over for Kevin Harvick.
Richard Childress Racing (RCR) crew chief Kevin Hamlin and many
current members of the No. 29 Goodwrench Service NASCAR Winston Cup
team will swap places with fellow RCR crew chief Gil Martin and many
current members of the No. 31 Cingular Wireless team starting at the
Pocono 500 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. In essence, Hamlin and his group
will become the Cingular Wireless crew for driver Robby Gordon while
Martin and his group will become the GM Goodwrench Service crew for
driver Kevin Harvick. "We're making this move to help the GM
Goodwrench Service and Cingular Wireless teams and all of RCR," said
Richard Childress, President and CEO of Richard Childress Racing
Enterprises, Inc. "The results of our performances this season have
not been up to expectations. Jeff Green and the America Online team
have had the best results so far and are showing a lot of promise for
the second half of the year so we're not going to change what they
have been building on. But the 29 and 31 teams are down enough in the
points right now that it makes the most sense to make some changes
between the two. Kevin (Hamlin), Gil and all of the guys in the shop
haven't forgotten how to build and prepare race cars and Kevin
(Harvick) and Robby still know how to win races so it's just a matter
of getting the right people in the right places. We've made changes
like this before and it's worked out and we're confident that it will
again." Harvick is currently 33rd in the Winston Cup points chase.

5/29/02

China GP by 2006
Bernie Ecclestone believes that the first Chinese Grand Prix
will definitely happen in 2006 at the latest. "I am sure that
by 2006 we will have a Grand Prix at Shanghai," he told UK
weekly Motorsport News. We have said all along that
Shanghai is the best place to have a F1 or CART race.
Apparently Bernie Ecclestone thinks so too, though we think a
street race would be better than the remote F1 track being
proposed..

5/29/02Industry News

Fiat to be split up?
According to this Financial Times
article, Fiat was on Monday locked in talks with its creditor
banks over reducing its heavy debt load - but in the longer term
Italy's largest industrial group faces the prospect of seeing its
conglomerate structure broken up.

5/29/02

New Chevy on the way Richard
Childress [owner of the #'s 29,30,31] says he expects NASCAR to
approve a significantly modified Chevrolet Monte Carlo body style for
2003. Pontiacs also are due for a change (has submitted a 2003 Grand
Prix body to NASCAR for approval, Chevy has not). Childress hopes the
new Monte Carlo will narrow a perceived aerodynamic disadvantage to
rival Ford and Dodge teams. NASCAR cars' bodies are only loosely based
on street cars', and NASCAR officials regularly tinker with the
aerodynamic characteristics of different car makes' bodies to keep
competition equal. That causes teams to argue over which make has an
advantage and lobby for changes. Winston Cup series director John
Darby hopes to reduce the bickering next year by making all four car
makes almost identical, primarily different in the nose and tail.
USA Today

5/29/02Industry News

Vodafone posts big loss
Ferrari sponsor Vodafone reported one of the world's biggest net
losses. Vodafone reported pre-tax losses after goodwill amortization
and exceptional items of £13.5 billion (over $20 billion, cough cough)
for the year to March. The write-down was significantly less than
market expectations, boosting the company's share price 7 per cent and
lifting it off four-year lows.

5/29/02

Overnight Indy 500 TV Ratings2nd UPDATE This NY Times
article gives their assessment of the ABC broadcast. At the
end of the article, it states that the ABC broadcast generated a 4.7
overnight Nielsen rating (vs. 5.3 for just the race), down 11 percent
from a year ago. Each rating point equals 717,310 television
households. 5/29/02 - This overnight rating
represents a 9% drop from last years 5.8 overnight rating, and is the
lowest rating ever for a Sunday live broadcast that was not
interrupted by rain, despite the controversial finish and
the CART vs. IRL battle. Like we have said all along, open wheel
racing on oval tracks is not clicking with the fans. NASCAR has
won the oval track war. The IRL pretty much rides on the back of
the Indy 500, and most agree, without that, the IRL would not survive.
Therefore, one can bet that if the final overnight rating does not
rebound, there won't be much celebrating in the back offices of the
IRL. The conspiracy theorists would have you believe that NASCAR
has used Tony George like a pawn, backing him to form the IRL and
split Indy Car racing in two, knowing all too well, that it could not
survive the split, and once dead, they would be there to pick up all
their sponsors to feed their Cup, Busch and Truck series. While
we certainly hope this is not true, the split had better get resolved
soon, or NASCAR will be waiting at the door to count their money.
The real losers in all this will be the open-wheel fans, what is left
of them. 5/27/02 - The ABC Sports race telecast earned an overnight rating of 5.3 with a
14 share (last years final rating was a 5.2, compared to NASCAR's 10+
rating for the Coca-Cola 600). Final rating numbers are expected later
this week and usually go down when the smaller markets are included.
Overnight ratings for the pre-race show were 4.7, according to
Nielsen. “The overnight markets show strong numbers in a number of key
markets,” said Buddy McAtee, assistant vice president of broadcast
communications and business development for IMS. “Dayton had a 13.4,
and Louisville had a 9.1. Other interesting numbers were Atlanta, 6.9;
Chicago, 7.0; Columbus, 7.2; Nashville, 6.6; Orlando, 7.2; and
Seattle, 6.4.” McAtee noted that many of these are current or former
Indy Racing League markets. “There is no question that good weather
throughout the U.S. hampered us some on Sunday,” McAtee said. “In
addition, our 8 a.m. West Coast start is a limiting factor. “In
today’s changing broadcast market, these are good numbers, and when
combined with the continued strong performance of our Internet sites,
the Indy 500 and Indy Racing League are strongly positioned for the
future.”

5/29/02

Team Green still pondering further
protest
In talking to the Indy Star news - "We don't want to keep this whole
thing up if there's nothing there," Team Green's Carol Wilkins said,
"but we still believe evidence shows we won the race." Wilkins said
the team is satisfied with the way Barnhart has conducted the
proceedings and series politics is not a factor. Team Green competes
on the Championship Auto Racing Teams circuit. "Everybody at the IRL
has been very professional in working with us," she said. "We don't
want to go forward unless there's something there."

ALMS swings into Midwest
The American Le Mans Series will bring the excitement of
international sports car racing to the Heartland of America
with a pair of upcoming events at racing circuits in the
Midwest. The swing through the American Midwest will begin
with American Le Mans at Mid-Ohio, an event on the weekend of
June 28-30 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
The swing will then move north to America’s Dairyland as the
series makes its first-ever appearance at Road America in
Elkhart Lake, Wis., for the Road America 500 presented by the
Chicago Tribune July 4-7. ALMS

5/28/02

Trulli keeps 4th place
The FIA today released a statement confirming that Jarno
Trulli's fourth place in the Monaco Grand Prix will stand.
"Further analysis of an electronic unit on car 14 was
completed today (28 May) by members of the FIA’s Technical
Department," read the statement. "The unit, which forms part
of the car’s launch control system, was found to be in
conformity with the requirements of the 2002 FIA Formula One
Technical Regulations. Car 14 will therefore retain its
position (4th) in the final results of the 2002 Monaco Grand
Prix. "Certain components are routinely checked at the
beginning of the season to ensure that they have no
illegitimate function (*). A seal is then placed on the unit
to confirm it has been checked. There is no regulation
requiring the seal to be in place (as was the case formerly
with programmable electronic units forming part of the engine
management system), but its absence means that the unit has to
be re-checked. In the case of this particular component, the
checks could only be carried out away from the circuit, rather
like checking an engine. "(*)For example, an electronic
component in the launch control system might have the means to
receive a signal from the pits when the lights go out, thus
enabling the car to start more quickly than it could if
started by the driver himself in accordance with the
regulations."

5/28/02

Atlantics - Former Champion Buddy Rice
to replace Hand
Dede Rogers, owner of DSTP Motorsports, today announced that Buddy
Rice will return to the driver's seat for the 2000 CART Toyota
Atlantic Championship-winning team, beginning with the series’ fourth
round at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California. Rice will step
in for Joey Hand, who is recuperating from injuries sustained from a
testing accident at the Milwaukee Mile on Friday, May 17. The team
will not compete in this weekend's race at Milwaukee. "We're delighted
to have Buddy back in the car," said Rogers, whose team won the 2000
CART Toyota Atlantic title in its rookie Atlantic season with Rice.
"He's one of the best drivers in the country and an integral part of
the DSTP family. We felt that this was the best decision for the team,
and for Joey. He and Joey work very well together, and we feel that
Buddy's expertise will be invaluable to continuing with the
development of the new Swift. We're hopeful to get Joey back in the
car as soon as possible but, until then, we know that Buddy will give
his all to keep DSTP up front." "I'm pleasantly surprised that the
team turned to me to fill-in for Joey," said Rice, who won the 2000
Atlantic title with five wins, ten podiums and six fastest race laps
out of 12 races while driving for DSTP. "I've always said that I would
do whatever was in the best interests of Dede and the team, so when
they asked, I felt it was the right decision. Joey's put a lot of work
into developing this car, so it's important to keep this information
in-house and to keep working closely with him over the next several
races until he's ready to jump back in. In the meantime, it's going to
be great to be back in the cockpit of an Atlantic car, and I can't
thank Dede and the team enough for what should be some pretty exciting
races ahead." DSTP

5/28/02Industry News

Bridgestone/Firestone may move from
Nashville
According to this article,
Bridgestone/Firestone is planning another move, and the search for new
office space could take the tire maker out Nashville or to another
state altogether. Bridgestone/Firestone Americas Holding Inc. wants to
house its 750-800 corporate employees in one place rather than
throughout the four buildings they now occupy, spokeswoman Christine
Karbowiak said Friday. "The problem is finding a space that fits our
needs and is also a good financial deal," she said. "We're looking at
a number of options. We really want to stay in Nashville, but we have
an obligation to look at all the options and what's best for our
employees." Nashville officials are scheduled to meet with
Bridgestone/Firestone officials next week. "We're talking with them
and we plan to do everything we can to keep them in Nashville," said
Ava Philson, a spokeswoman for Mayor Bill Purcell. "We value what they
bring to this community. They're a big employer and a good business."

5/28/02

NASCAR penalizes Mark Martin crew chief,
but keeps win Mark Martin keeps the Win, but NASCAR fines
crew chief for rules infraction NASCAR Officials announced that Ben
Leslie, crew chief of the No. 6 Ford Taurus, received a $50,000 fine
for a rule violation found during post-race inspection following
Sunday's Coca-Cola Racing Family 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in
Concord, N.C. Leslie was penalized under Section 12-4-T in the 2002
NASCAR Winston Cup Series rule book, "Any car that is found to be
under the specified height requirement after the completion... of the
race." The minimum height requirement is 51 inches - the No. 6 car was
approximately 1/8 of an inch too low. Neither Ben Leslie nor Roush
Racing plans to appeal the fine, but they did have these comments.
"NASCAR set the height rule and it doesn't matter whether it is one
inch or 1/8 of an inch," said Leslie. "With 600 miles of racing there
is a great deal of wear and tear and adjustments that have to be made
on the car. "If you think of it that way, with the race being so long
and all of the adjustments that are required in that type of the race,
1/8 of an inch is not a lot. On top of that, we had some cooling
problems to work on throughout the race and between that and the
normal adjustments, it's hard not to lose some height. It didn't have
any impact on the outcome of the race at all. "Still, NASCAR has to
draw the line somewhere and we didn't measure up to that line. It's a
steep fine, but those are the rules of the game."

5/28/02

Jeff Gordon & Sesame Street
Jeff Gordon, the four-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion, and Sesame
Street, created by the global educational organization Sesame
Workshop, are teaming up to raise money for The Jeff Gordon Foundation
dedicated to awarding grants to needy and worthy causes. The "2002
Jeff Gordon Foundation-Sesame Street" car is designed by renowned
motorsports artist Sam Bass and will feature Sesame Street's Elmo. The
initial 2001 diecast program was a great success for The Jeff Gordon
Foundation generating over $200,000 for charity. Once again, this
specially designed collector's car will not be raced. Action
Performance Companies will create the diecast replicas of the "2002
Jeff Gordon Foundation-Sesame Street" car, which will be released for
sale in August of this year. "This is an exciting opportunity for the
Foundation to form a partnership with Sesame Street, one of the most
beloved children's television programs for over 30 years. This
relationship continues the work of the Foundation to focus our
attention on children," said Jeff Gordon. "Sharing a similar mission,
we are proud to support The Jeff Gordon Foundation in helping meet the
physical, social and intellectual needs of children and their
families," said Liz Kalodner, Sesame Workshop's Senior Vice President
and General Manager, Global Consumer Products and International TV
Distribution. The Jeff Gordon Foundation established in December of
1999, supports children and families in need. The Foundation is a
non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization that benefits The Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society, The Make-A-Wish Foundation, The Marrow Foundation
and Riley Hospital for Children.

The distance between the pedal bulkhead
and front bulkhead will be increased by a minimum of 3 inches, moving
the driver back.

Sidepods must maintain a minimum width of
60 inches along a greater distance.

Energy-absorbent materials will be
introduced for driver leg protection.

Front suspension mounting points must have
a bulkhead directly behind them. ·Aluminum honeycomb core used in
chassis construction must conform to a minimum core density.

Car weight will be reduced to lessen
impact mass.

A minimum chassis length will be
established.

The driver must be able to undo the safety
belts, remove the steering wheel and exit the car in less than five
seconds. Chassis designs built for the 2003 season also will
undergo rigorous impact and load tests that will meet or exceed FIA
standards. The Indy Racing League has specified the following changes
in those mandatory tests:

Increase side load on nose push-off test.

Increase energy on first nose impact test.

Increase energy on second nose impact
test.

Chassis must not incur damage during nose
impact tests.

Increase applied load during roll hoop
test.

Increase side intrusion absorbsion levels.

Mounting points for the cables that are
part of the Suspension and Wheel Energy Management System (SWEMS) will
be integrated into the car design, and minimum sizes for the mountings
have been established. IRL

5/27/02

Olympic champion takes Skip Barber
school Marc Gagnon, winner of two gold medals in the last
Olympic Games in Salt Lake City completed today his first training
session at the Skip Barber Racing School at Mont-Tremblant. Gagnon was
under the tutelage of Richard Spénard, Director of Canadian Operations
for Skip Barber.

5/27/02

Boris Said wins 2nd in row
Boris Said of ACS Express Racing extended his lead in the Trans-Am
Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup championship Monday by capturing
the Trans-Am portion of the Mohegan Sun Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park.
Said (#33 Applied Computer Solutions Panoz Esperante) who took the
championship lead with a victory at Mosport (Ont.) International
Raceway last weekend, extended it by driving to 4.566-second triumph
over Tony Ave in the third of 12 rounds in the 2002 Trans-Am
championship. Rookie Butch Leitzinger rounded out the podium with a
third-place performance. After becoming the first Trans-Am driver to
win back-to-back events since Justin Bell, the 2001 AmeriSuites Rookie
of the Year, Said, who also owns a podium finish of second at Long
Beach, has 94 championship points, 20 more than Johnny Miller, who
stands second with 74. “I think pit stops are great because they
add a different element of strategy to the races,” Said continued.
“Our strategy just played out today. It was a great day for the ACS
team.” The victory was especially significant to Said because it came
at Lime Rock, his home track during his formative years as a racer.
“It feels good to win one here,” Said allowed. “I grew up here; this
is the first track I ever went to, and I worked here as an instructor
for [track president] Skip Barber when I was first starting out. “I’ve
won a couple of Firestone Firehawk races here, but this is my biggest
win at Lime Rock,” Said summed up.

5/27/02

Castroneves collects record purse
Helio Castroneves earned a record $1,606,215 of the first $10-million
purse in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history for winning the 86th
Indianapolis 500-Mile Race on May 26, according to unofficial prize
figures announced May 27 at the Indianapolis 500 Victory Celebration.
Castroneves’ award was larger than the $1,568,150 that Arie Luyendyk
earned for his second career Indianapolis 500 victory in 1997. The
total 2002 purse of $10,028,580 is an event record and marks the first
time the Indianapolis 500 purse has surpassed the $10-million mark.
The previous event record was $9,615,325, set last year in the
Memorial Day classic. The purse is comprised of Indianapolis Motor
Speedway and Indy Racing League awards, and other designated awards.
Castroneves, a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, became the first repeat
winner of the Indianapolis 500 since Al Unser won consecutive races in
1970-71. For this feat, Castroneves, driver of the No. 3 Marlboro Team
Penske Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone, won $290,000 from BorgWarner Inc.,
including $160,000 for winning back-to-back races. It is the first
time that prize has been awarded, as the award did not exist when
Unser won consecutive races. Paul Tracy won $489,315 for his runner-up
performance in the No. 26 Team Green 7-Eleven
Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone, while third-place finisher Felipe
Giaffone, driver of the No. 21 Hollywood Mo Nunn Racing G
Force/Chevrolet/Firestone, took home $475,315. MBNA Pole winner Bruno
Junqueira earned $282,715 for his 31st-place finish. Junqueira, driver
of the No. 33 Target Chip Ganassi Racing G Force/Chevrolet/Firestone,
exited the race on Lap 87 with gearbox problems. His total winnings
included $100,000 for winning the MBNA Pole Award. For only the fifth
time in history, two drivers earned the Bank One Rookie of the Year
award. Alex Barron and Tomas Scheckter shared the honor that was first
awarded to Art Cross in 1952, and became the first drivers to split
the award since Bernard Jourdain and Scott Pruett in 1989. Both earned
$12,500 each of the $25,000 check from Bank One. The 87th Indianapolis
500 is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. (EST) May 25, 2003. IRL

5/27/02

Alonso to test Jaguar
Jaguar will put Renault test driver Fernando Alonso in one of
its cars at Silverstone this week in a three-way comparison
test. The Spaniard will drive on Thursday, while the team's
test drivers Andre Lotterer and James Courtney will get their
first taste of the 2002 car on the previous two days of the
test. "Our objective here is to conduct a true assessment of
James and Andre by comparing them to what I regard as one of
the best new talents in Formula 1," said Jaguar team
principal, Niki Lauda.

5/27/02

Hospitalized IRL driver released
There have been so many IRL drivers hospitalized this year, we lost
count. Count Laurent Redon among the walking wounded.
Laurent Redon, whose crash with Buddy Lazier with two laps to go led
to the disputed finish of the Indianapolis 500, was released from
Methodist Hospital on Monday. The Frenchman sustained a concussion
when he and Lazier collided on lap 199, bringing out the yellow light
just as Paul Tracy appeared to pass Helio Castroneves for the lead.
Speedway officials said he would be examined later in the week before
he is cleared to drive. Lazier, a former winner who finished 15th,
bruised his knee in the crash but was not hospitalized. ``I drove
right in alongside of him in the short chute,'' Lazier said of
Sunday's crash. ``I had the pass going into turn two. I looked over to
my right, and he was coming down on me. ``I was all the way down below
the white line trying to avoid him, but we just came together,''
Lazier said. ``We shot up into the outside retaining wall and we hit a
ton.'' Why were these two racing so hard against one
another when they were laps apart?

5/27/02

Ladder Series: Allmendinger leads
flag-to-flag at Lime Rock
Barber Dodge Pro Series championship leader A.J. Allmendinger
converted his pole position into a win at the Lime Rock Park Grand
Prix presented by Mohegan Sun. Marc Breuers in the Sunoco Special and
Rafael Sperafico driving the Barber-CART Rookie of the Year
Scholarship Dodge-liveried Reynard joined Allmendinger on the podium,
with Nilton Rossoni and Julio Campos rounding out the top five in
Monday's race. Starting from the pole, A.J. Allmendinger 's biggest
concern before the race was that the start of the race would give his
competition a good opportunity to pass him. He knew that if he could
get the jump on second-place starter Breuers, that he would be able to
control the pace of the race and let him build up a gap over the
field. He was right, making an excellent start and quickly building up
a lead early in the race over Breuers. What Allmendinger did not know
was that he would have to do it again as a yellow flag late in the
race bunched the field up erasing the 5.2 second lead he had built up
over the field and giving Breuers one last chance to pass.
Pos/Car/Driver/Hometown/Points/Purse/Laps/Status
1/29/A.J. Allmendinger/Hollister, Calif./22/$13,000/40/Running
2/94/Marc Breuers/Philadelphia, PA/16/$8,750/40/Running
3/11/Rafael Sperafico/Toledo Paraná, Brazil/14/$6,500/40/Running
4/36/Nilton Rossoni/Curitiba, Brazil/12/$4,500/40/Running
5/21/Julio Campos/Curitiba, Brazil/11/$2,500/40/Running
6/19/Dan Di Leo/Markham,Ontario,Canada/10/$1,500/40/Running
7/15/Memo Rojas/Mexico City, Mexico/9/$1,250/40/Running
8/27/Josh Beaulieu/Langley, B.C., Canada/8/$1,250/40/Running
9/14/Carlos Lievano/Neiva, Colombia/7/$1,250/40/Running
10/42/Josh Rehm/Plymouth, Mass./6/$1,250/40/Running
11/55/Piero Rodarte/Mexico City, Mexico/5/$1,000/40/Running
12/51/Aurelio Lopez, Jr./Guadalajara, Mexico/4/$1,000/40/Running
13/66/Tom Fogarty/Portola Valley, Calif./3/$1,000/40/Running
14/67/Jon Vannini/Hillsborough, Calif./2/$1,000/40/Running
15/31/Leonardo Maia/Oakland, Calif./2/$1,000/39/Running
16/33/German Quiroga/Mexico City, Mexico/$750/39/Running
17/32/Morgan Davies/Tucson, Arizona/$750/39/Running
18/97/Atticus Missner/Chicago, Illinois/$750/39/Running
19/34/Christian Szymczak/Oakland, Calif./$750/39/Running
20/16/Davy Cook/Tallahassee, Fla./$750/37/Off Course
21/37/Mike Richardson/Kelowna, B.C., Canada/$500/30/Contact
22/69/Chris Baker/Houston, Texas/$500/30/Contact
LENGTH OF RACE: 40 Laps of 1.54 Mile Circuit for 61.600 miles
TIME OF RACE: 40 Minutes, 51.607 seconds
AVERAGE SPEED: 90.455
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0 Minutes 1.561 Seconds
LAP LEADERS: A. J. Allmendinger - All Laps
FASTEST RACE LAP: Leonardo Maia 00:54.718 (101.319 mph) Lap 18
FASTEST QUALIFIER: A. J. Allmendinger 00:54.597 (101.544 mph)
TOTAL PAYOUT: $51,500

5/27/02

What does Honda think?
Dear AutoRacing1.com, I sit here watching the frame-by-frame replays
on RPM2Night that clearly shows Paul Tracy in front of Helio
Castroneves when the caution light first displayed for the Lazier/Redon
accident, yet IRL officials handed the race to IRL driver Castroneves,
rather than the real winner, CART driver Tracy. After reading
that Honda was upset with CART over the pop-off valve incident last
year, I wonder what they think about the officiating in the IRL, the
league they just signed up with, with regard to this and the other
questionable calls made during the running of the Indy 500? You
hear about 'The Call' all the time in NASCAR. I wonder what
Honda will think the first time the IRL (which is modeled after and
run just like NASCAR) gives 'The Call' to their archrival Toyota, who
just so happens to be signed up with The Captain. Eddie
LaFontaine, Atlanta, Georgia [Editor's Note: The video is
not very clear and conclusive, so it is premature to judge whether
Tracy was past when the yellow flashed]

Lawsuit against NASCAR picking up steam
According to this Newsday
article, A federal lawsuit is gaining momentum in New York,
Washington, D.C., and Texas, threatening NASCAR's financial fiefdom
and accusing the stock-car racing body of operating as an illegal
monopoly. Bill France Jr., the son of late NASCAR founder "Big" Bill
France, is up against some of America's most feared lawyers in a suit
that could force unprecedented disclosure of NASCAR's closely guarded
balance sheets. Johnnie Cochran is the high-profile front man. Another
name, well known only in American's legal and corporate circles,
signifies that Cochran is hoping for a long, fierce fight. Washington
lawyer Michael Hausfeld took on Microsoft, sued Swiss banks on behalf
of Holocaust victims and was recently named the most feared attorney
in D.C. Now he is challenging NASCAR in a case that has sports
antitrust experts watching closely. "The essence of it is the
stranglehold that [NASCAR has] on NASCAR-type racing," Sam Cherry, the
lead plaintiff's attorney, said in an interview at the Cochran Firm's
office in lower Manhattan. "You cannot have a NASCAR-formatted race
without the blessing of NASCAR."

5/26/02

More controversy from Indy
Not only is the finish of the 86th Indy 500 under dispute (preventing
a CART driver from winning a 3rd straight 500), complaints are pouring
in about the running of the entire event. IRL officials are
being blamed for Tony Kanaan's crash in the oil of Bruno Junqueira
because it took them one full lap to throw the caution. The
start was so strung out fans are asking how and why the green flag was
thrown. When Sam Hornish hit the wall, the caution was not
thrown for several laps in the hope that Andretti might go a lap down.
Finally it was thrown for debris. When Robby Gordon's pit tank blew
up, he was out of fuel. Mysteriously he was given more fuel and
allowed to continue. Some wonder where that is allowed in the
rule book. And finally, with Castroneves's tank running dry, the
next to last caution was supposed to go green one or two laps sooner,
but IRL officials cancelled the go-green command saving Castroneves
valuable fuel. If not for that, some say Castroneves would have
run dry sooner. With the protest being heard by Brian Barnhart,
and the final appeal being heard by Tony George (should Team Green
choose to take it to the next level), few doubt the finishing order
will be changed in spite of the evidence we have seen so far, because
of Team Penske's favored status as an IRL team. However,
Barnhart has been very fair in previous dealings, so we're hopeful he
will do the right thing after all the evidence is heard.

5/26/02

Brian Barnhart addresses controversial
finish
I just wanted to come in and spend some time with you guys and let you
know that we have posted the official results for the Indianapolis
running, the 86th running of which took place this afternoon, and they
are unchanged from the unofficial results at the time the decision was
made at that point in time, with the No. 3 car of Helio Castroneves
being the winner of the race, Paul Tracy running second and Felipe
Giaffone running third. Transcript

5/26/02

IRL rulebook on cautions
With regard to the controversial Indy 500 finish, here is what section
7.14 of the Indy Racing League Official Rule Book that pertains to
yellow lights and passing says: -- 7.14. Yellow Flag (Caution): The
yellow caution period starts with the display of the yellow flag
and/or yellow lights and ends with the display of the green flag
and/or green lights. Racing ceases immediately upon display of the
yellow flag and/or yellow lights. The Officials may call a yellow
caution period at any time for any reason. Their decision to call, not
to call, or to end a yellow caution period may not be protested or
appealed. Yellow caution period laps will be scored unless stated
otherwise by the Officials. -- 7.14.D. During the yellow caution
period, no Driver may pass another Car unless: (1) The other Car is
stopped on the track or the other Car has waved the passing Car by on
the front straightaway and promptly confirms such action by radio
communication to the Officials; (2) The other Car is on the apron or
is on the inside of the track and is not maintaining the pace lap
speed; or (3) Either Car is in the pit lanes.

5/26/02

Tracy will go to NASCAR before the IRL
While talking about the rift between CART and the IRL, and where Barry
Green might race in 2003, in this Toronto newspaper
article, Paul Tracy says - "I'm a CART guy and I want to road
race. (Team Green owner Barry Green) has not indicated to me whether
he's going to stay in CART next year or switch to the IRL. But if he
goes the IRL route and I'm forced to race only on ovals, I will have
to rethink what I'm going to do. "Maybe I should take a look at NASCAR
or whatever. I just hope Barry makes his mind up sooner rather than
later so that I can decide what to do."

5/26/02

Discover Card enters NASCAR
Discover Card has announced today they will be making their first
venture into motorsports sponsorship beginning next week at the
Winston Cup race at Dover, becoming the primary sponsor of the #26
Ford of Haas-Carter Motorsports for the next six races. Discover Card
has also purchased large blocks of television advertising being
broadcast on the FOX television network over the next six races, as
well as becoming the title sponsor of the FOX pre-race show for the
balance of the 2002 season. Driver Todd Bodine will return to the
Haas-Carter Motorsports team to drive the car.. Pete McCole

5/26/02

Was there monkey business going on?
Dear AutoRacing1.com, Why was the next-to-last caution flag extended
one additional lap? Was it to help Helio Castroneves save fuel
so that he might win the race? If not for that, he would have
run out a lap earlier. Not only was it bad enough that two IRL
wankers crashed, stealing a sure victory from CART driver Paul Tracy,
I see that current or past foreign CART road racers dominated once
again. Team Penske, you know, the team every true blue IRL'er
hated when they dominated in their CART days, won again (even though
out of pure luck), and with Paul Tracy 2nd, Giaffone 3rd, followed by
Alex Barron, Eddie Cheever, Richie Hearn, etc, it looked like just
another CART race today. Where were all those great sprint car
and midget oval drivers that the IRL was created for? Oh, and
before I forget, I see the same big teams (current or past CART teams)
took home all the money once again. Tell me again why the IRL
was created? Billy Reed, Billings, Montana

5/26/02

Sato has 4th crash in two weeks
Jordan driver Takuma Sato slammed into the wall in the tunnel
at Monaco and slid down the track to hit the barriers at the
entry to the following chicane. Sato appears OK - he got out
the car unaided. That is his fourth crash in two weeks - one
in the Austrian GP, one in the Historic Monaco GP, one in
practice at Monaco and then this one.

5/26/02

Junqueira called as good as Montoya
In this Indy Star article,
Bill Pappas, Bruno Junqueira's engineer at Target Chip Ganassi says
that he's every bit as good as Juan Montoya was when he was with the
team.

CART's new TV ad hits the airwaves
In case you didn't catch it, CART's new TV ad was shown during F1
qualifying and the Coca Cola 600 qualifying shows on SPEED Channel,
and on CBS today.
It's about time CART started to run TV ads to promote its product.
Showing it during F1 and NASCAR broadcasts is very wise.

5/25/02

Pook - we knew Honda was gone
Chris Pook, speaking about Honda's announcement that they were going
to the IRL in 2003, said it came at no surprise to CART. "We
knew they were gone from CART, and although we tried to do damage
control, in the end it was too late." As we now understand it,
CART will have some announcements of their own in the coming weeks,
and we expect their engine manufacturers for 2003 will soon be set.
With both the IRL and CART placing price restrictions on chassis and
engines, neither series can afford to have too many manufacturers,
because each would have too few customers to make up on volume, what
they are losing in price.

5/25/02

Hayner wins first pole Stuart
Hayner, the final car on the race track, put together a spectacular
lap just moments before the checkered flag to capture his first career
Trans-Am Series pole position for Monday's Mohegan Sun Presents the
Lime Rock Park Grand Prix (3 p.m. ET, live, SPEED Channel). Hayner
(#02 Trenton Forging/Tom Bell Chevrolet/Rockland STD Gear Chevrolet
Corvette) took advantage of clear asphalt to post a lap of 52.271
seconds (105.374 miles per hour) on the 1.53-mile permanent road
course and take the pole position for Monday's 66-lap, 100.98-mile,
third round of the 2002 Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires
championship. Hayner had lost the provisional pole just moments
earlier to Butch Leitzinger, whose lap of 52.576 seconds (104.576 mph)
had apparently captured the primary starting spot. Leitzinger (#88
Tommy Bahama Chevrolet Corvette) had gradually improved his speed
throughout the 20-minute qualifying session before recording his best
lap with under a minute to go. That's when Hayner responded to the
challenge. "I can honestly say I don't think I've ever been as
depressed as I was when I left the race track [Friday] night," said
Hayner, who earned two championship points and the Jaguar Pole Award
for his performance. "We had struggled all day, and you start to
question yourself. But the crew made wholesale changes, and the car
just got better and better."

5/25/02

CART Ladder News: Allmendinger on
Lime Rock pole A.J. Allmendinger put an exclamation mark on
his Friday provisional pole by returning to Lime Rock Park and going
even faster in Saturday's qualifying session, outpacing the rest of
the field and securing the pole position for the Barber Dodge Pro
Series race on Monday. Story & Grid

5/25/02

Renna named test driver for Kelly
racing
Kelley Racing announced today that former CART Indy Lights driver Tony
Renna will be the Test Driver for their Indy Racing League and newly
formed Indy Racing Infiniti Pro Series teams. In addition to his
testing duties, Renna will also serve as driver coach for Jason
Priestley in the Infiniti Pro Series "Needless to say, I am very
excited about my new relationship with of one of the finest
organizations in all of motorsports,” said Renna. “Kelley Racing is a
program that every driver would like to be associated with and I am
very thankful to Tom Kelley and Jim Freudenberg for believing in my
abilities. I am looking forward to working with everyone on the team
and to a long term, successful relationship with Kelley Racing." Renna
has been racing since 1982. His open-wheel experience includes driving
in the CART PPG-Dayton Indy Lights Championship with PacWest Racing
Group while also acting as their official Champ Car testing and
development driver. During his Indy Lights career on oval tracks,
Renna scored one win, two poles, six podium finishes and 8 top fives.
Other racing accomplishments included the 1996 Barber Dodge Pro Series
“Rookie of the Year” as well as being selected as the “Valvoline Team
USA” award winner. “We’re pleased that someone with Tony’s experience
has agreed to help out our program,” said Tom Kelley, owner of Kelley
Racing. “With this being the inaugural season for the Infiniti Pro
Series, we need to accumulate as much information as possible. And
with Tony’s experience in open-wheel racing, I’m sure that he’ll
provide us with great feedback and valuable insight towards a
successful season for Jason and the entire Kelley Racing team.”

5/25/02

Cheever parts ways
Eddie Cheever Jr. and Clyde Perlee have agreed to end their four and a
half year partnership in Red Bull Cheever Racing. Cheever will acquire
Perlee's interest in the team giving him sole ownership. "I first met
Clyde through a letter he wrote to me," Cheever said. "That letter
turned out to be a great gift, as Clyde has become a dear friend. He
has been instrumental in the growth of Red Bull Cheever Racing these
past four years. "I will always be grateful for Clyde's financial
backing," Cheever continued, "but above all else he instilled solid
business principles and procedures in our team that are now a part of
our culture. His influence will remain with this company far into the
future." Cheever and Perlee joined forces at the end of the 1997 Indy
Racing League season and enjoyed substantial success in subsequent
years including winning the 1998 Indianapolis 500.

5/25/02

IRL announces 3 chassis makers
Three chassis manufacturers will produce race cars that will meet the
2003-2005 Indy Racing League specifications, league officials
announced May 25. Concord, N.C.-based MK Racing will join
Dallara and G Force in the production of the next era of the Indy
Racing League formula. Dallara designs and builds its chassis in
Italy, while G Force cars are built in Braselton, Ga. More...

5/25/02

Toyota signs Comptech
Toyota Racing Development, U.S.A., Inc., has reached an agreement with
Comptech Machine to become one of Toyota's two designated engine
rebuilders for the 2003 Indy Racing League season, it was announced
today. A Comptech-prepared engine powered Bruno Junqueira to the
pole-position for this weekend's Indianapolis 500. Its engines have
now won either the pole or the race in three of the last four years
with Juan Montoya's victory in 2000 and Arie Luyendyk's pole position
in 1999. "We are thrilled to enter the Indy Racing League with one of
the pre-eminent engine rebuilders for the Indianapolis 500," said Lee
White, Toyota Racing Development group vice president. "Comptech's
record in the Indianapolis 500 speaks for itself, and they also have a
great tradition in a variety of aspects in motorsports." In addition
to its IRL engines, Comptech also provides engines for Lynx Racing in
the Toyota Atlantic Championship. Prior to focusing on engine
development, Comptech also was a successful race team. The team won
nine International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) titles from
1986-1993 and has been a past competitor in CART as well, where the
team earned Honda's first Champ Car pole in 1995. "I've been a
long-time admirer of Toyota's race program dating back to our time in
IMSA," said Doug Peterson, owner and president of Comptech. "I'm
looking forward to working closely, and winning, with Toyota in the
future." Comptech will join Penske Racing as one of two Toyota engine
rebuilders currently signed for the 2003 season. The new Toyota Indy
powerplant has been undergoing dynamometer testing since February at
TRD in Costa Mesa, Calif. On-track testing is scheduled to begin this
summer. TRD, U.S.A. commenced its operation in 1979 as the North
American technical arm for design, development and assembly of
Toyota's racing engines. Championship-caliber powerplants have been
produced for various series including CART; IMSA; SCORE, MTEG and CORR
off-road racing; Toyota Atlantic; NASCAR Goody's Dash; SCCA; and Pikes
Peak. TRD also distributes a premium quality line of high-performance
aftermarket parts for Toyota products. Toyota

5/25/02

Michelin advantage at Monaco Michelin tires had
the advantage in qualifying as all but two of the top 10
qualifiers were on Michelins. The two exceptions were the
Bridgestone-shod Ferraris in third and fifth spots. “You see a
lot of Michelin drivers at the top whereas normally there are
a few Bridgestones there,” Michael Schumacher said. “It’s the
nature of the situation. We’ve said many times it will not
continue like it has been in previous races. It will turn
around, and it has happened, and that’s what we have to face.
But we’re not too worried. We’re not miles off, we still have
an opportunity in third position. It’s a long race in front of
us.”

5/25/02F3000

Second win for Bourdais Sebastien Bourdais led
all 45 laps to win his second FIA International Formula 3000
Championship race of the season. Patrick Friesacher, Tomas
Enge, Antonio Pizzonia and Ricardo Sperafico rounded out the
top five.

5/25/02

Screens banned Effective immediately, the FIA has
banned the screens and barriers that teams put in front of
their pit garages to prevent people seeing into the garage.
The teams used the screens to protect their latest secrets and
car modifications. But the FIA cited that “for reasons of
safety (escape routes and access for emergency services) and
in order to allow the clerk of the course, the scrutineers and
pit observers to properly carry out their duties, no screen,
cover or any other obstruction which in any way obscures any
part of the car will be allowed at any time in the pit lane or
garages, save with the express permission in each case of the
FIA Safety Delegate.” The FIA is permitted to make instant
rule changes on safety grounds.

5/25/02

Montoya picks Junqueira, Emerson picks Papis, to win Indy
500 Monaco Grand Prix pole winner Juan Pablo Montoya
hopes that Indianapolis 500 pole winner Bruno Junqueira will
win this year’s “500” in the Target Chip Ganassi Racing G
Force/Chevrolet/Firestone. Montoya won the 2000 Indianapolis
500 driving for Target Chip Ganassi Racing. “I hope Bruno
(Junqueira) could do a good job,” Montoya said. “He has been
working really hard through last year and this year, so it
would be nice if he could do a good job. I think he has got
the team, and he has got the car to do it, so hopefully he can
win.” Emerson Fittipaldi, two-time World Champion and
winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1989 and 1993, said Max
Papis may win the 86th Indianapolis 500. “Who is going to win
Indianapolis tomorrow?” Fittipaldi said. “Max Papis is going
to win. He always starts from the back and wins.”

5/25/02

Ned Jarrett undergoes heart procedure
Former two-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Ned Jarrett was released
from Frye Regional Medical Center on Friday afternoon after undergoing
a procedure. After experiencing shortness of breath on Wednesday
night, Jarrett was examined by Dr. Derek Luney, who immediately sent
Jarrett to the hospital to undergo a heart catheterization procedure.
Dr. Norman McDonald performed the procedure, and found an artery with
95% blockage. Angioplasty was performed and a stent was inserted. The
father of 1999 Winston Cup champion Dale Jarrett is now resting at
home. Pete McCole

5/25/02

Infiniti Pro Series purses to be
$100,000
Drivers and teams participating in the new Indy Racing Infiniti Pro
Series will compete for a total of $100,000 in prize money per event,
series officials announced May 25. The winner of each Infiniti Pro
Series race will receive $25,000, with second- and third-place
finishers awarded $14,500 and $10,000, respectively. Fourth through
20th-place finishers will also receive a share of the prize fund. “I’m
very encouraged that we are able to offer this kind of generous prize
fund for the first season of the new series,” said Roger Bailey,
executive director of the Infiniti Pro Series. “Moreover, when 20
teams have the opportunity to share the prize money, the entire series
benefits.” IRL

5/25/02

Foyt's grandson to run Pro Series
A.J. Foyt gave his grandson and namesake a special birthday surprise
May 25. The first four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 announced
he would field a car in the Indy Racing Infiniti Pro Series this
season for A.J. Foyt IV, who turned 18 on May 25. “I’m really happy to
be running a whole series where I run for the points,” said young
Foyt, who competed in selected USAC Silver Crown events last year. “I
like the idea of running the bigger cars, and I’m glad we tested the
Indy car at Phoenix because that got my confidence up. I was able to
run that car consistently, so I know I’ll be able to handle the
Infiniti Pro Series car.” Said A.J. Foyt: “A.J. IV has run in karts,
F2000 cars and even a couple Silver Crown races, and I just felt like
this was a good opportunity for him. The Infiniti Pro Series runs on
the same tracks as the Indy Racing League so I can be there while he’s
learning. Also, he’ll be running cars made by Dallara, which also
builds the Indy cars I run. I was very impressed with the way he ran
my Indy car at a test earlier this year. I think it will be good
preparation for the Indy Racing League, which is where he wants to
run.” Young Foyt will drive a No. 14 Infiniti-powered Dallara in the
series’ inaugural season, which starts July 7 at Kansas Speedway. Foyt
will race the full schedule. “There may be a little more pressure on
me because I’m his grandson,” A.J. Foyt IV said of his family racing
heritage. “But I don’t think he’ll be all that hard on me. He’ll just
tell me all the things I do wrong, pretty much like he treats his
other drivers, which is both good and bad. But I know it’s all to help
me become a better driver.” IRL

5/25/02

Pennzoil & Panther extend through 2005
Pennzoil and Panther Racing announced today that they would continue
their Indy Racing League association through 2005. “Racing at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway and in open-wheel competition is an
integral part of Pennzoil’s heritage, and we are excited to continue
our association with Panther Racing,” said Jim Postl, president of
Pennzoil Quaker State. “As we complete 2003, our fifth year as the
primary sponsor of Panther Racing, we are excited to announce that we
will continue the association through 2005.” The Pennzoil and Panther
Racing association was announced in fall 1997, and the familiar yellow
No. 4 Indy Racing League car first competed in January 1998 at the
Walt Disney World Speedway with Scott Goodyear behind the wheel. Since
the start of the 2001 season, Sam Hornish Jr. has driven the Pennzoil
Panther Racing car. In addition to the extended partnership with
Pennzoil, Panther Racing also announced that it would continue a
technical relationship with GM Racing and Chevrolet at least through
the 2005 IRL season. “General Motors has supplied Panther Racing and
Speedway Engines with tremendous support since 1998, and we are
looking forward to continuing our winning relationship with
Chevrolet,” said Panther Racing co-owner and Indianapolis Chevrolet
dealer Gary Pedigo. “It is special for me to have the products I sell
everyday – Pennzoil and Chevrolet automobiles – represented on the
track by Panther Racing.” IRL

5/25/02

Indy 500 has lost its luster
According to this Pocono Record
article, there are those of us who are old enough to remember
when the Indy 500 was the only race you talked about, especially
during the month of May. Those days are long gone and the Indy 500 is
a mere shell of what it used to be. Its drivers no longer have
familiar names, let alone any substantial following. While there are
those who would argue, the numbers speak for themselves. Years ago,
the average American could name the last winner of the Indy 500.
Nowadays, most Americans don't know it or at least can't pronounce
it.When compared to what NASCAR has going on, Indy is lucky it has a
ton of history and tradition to fall back on. I'm not saying that the
Indy 500 is all washed up and no longer worth watching, but when The
Winston held a week before manages to generate more excitement than
the Indy 500 does, something is very wrong.

5/25/02

Americas
Most Wanted Officials from Big
Fan Racing Team and Body Dynamics announced a partnership with Fox
television show "America's Most Wanted". The new team will attempt
five Busch Grand National Events beginning with the Saturday, June 1
race at Dover, DE with Lance Hooper as driver. At each race, the car
will feature pictures of missing children in hope of finding these
children and returning them home. The host of the show, John Walsh,
himself a father of an abducted child, spoke to the media on Friday
during the unveiling of the car. "A lot of America's Most Wanted
viewers are also NASCAR fans." Walsh said, "We have to thank everyone
for putting this together." Pete McCole

5/25/02

IRL to reduce revs, add drag
In order to control runaway speeds, and with no turbo boost to lower,
the IRL is faced with lowering engine revs next year to 10,300, adding
drag and lowering downforce, according to this Star News article,
and in line with what we have reported for some time now. If
CART were wise, and went to an all-road course series (seems most are
jumping on the AR1 bandwagon these days regarding making CART the
premier road racing series in the USA), it would not have to concern
itself so much with 'too much HP' and could allow its engine to slowly
increase back up to the mid-800 HP range.

5/25/02

Michael Andretti ponders owning CART
team In this Star News article,
Michael Andretti talks about someday owning a race car team, most
likely a CART team. If Barry Green is forced to go to the IRL
due to sponsor demands, Andretti might want to purchase part of the
team and keep it in CART. We have been told by both Mario and
Michael Andretti that they hope to own a team someday, probably after
Michael retires, maybe sooner. If Michael's son Marco turns out
to have the talent to race Champ Cars, you can bet he'll someday drive
for Andretti Racing.

Mexico City moves to November
As we rumored long ago......Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc.
(CART) announced today the rescheduling of the Mexico Gran Premio 2002
in Mexico City, Mexico. The race, originally set as Round 17 in the
CART FedEx Championship Series scheduled for October 13, has been
moved to the weekend of November 15-17 and the event now becomes the
final round of competition in 2002. Although the new date shifts the
Mexico City event to the end of the season, the same race weekend
schedule remains intact and will be contested just as any other date
on the CART FedEx Championship Series schedule. More...

5/24/02

Split has allowed NASCAR to leave Indy
Car Racing in dust
The Indianapolis 500 was once the premier event in U.S. auto racing.
But as the race is run for the 86th time this weekend, it has become
merely the second-most popular race held on that track. The Brickyard
400, a Nascar race run at the venerable track in August, had higher
ratings than the Indy 500 last year, a 6.2 for the Brickyard compared
with a 5.8 for the 500. It's possible that this Sunday's race will see
about half the viewers of Nascar's Daytona 500 held in February, which
captured a record 10.9 rating.
More

5/24/02

Longest race tough on engines This
weekend's Coca-Cola 600 will be the longest race of the season and the
first 600-mile race that NASCAR has run since instituting the
one-engine rule back in February. Cars were allowed to change engines
at this year's Daytona 500, but NASCAR decided that the one-engine
rule would apply for this weekend's Coca-Cola 600 at the Lowe's Motor
Speedway. Despite the long nature of the race, Roush Racing's head
motor builder Tom Ghent says that the rule shouldn't have a huge
effect in the way teams go about preparing for Sunday night's race.
"The basic assembly of the engine did not change," said Ghent. "We
stuck with what we've been running. At California we had run upwards
of 700 miles on the engine (during the race and practice sessions).
The engines came back through an inspection process and we are
comfortable with the wear that the test showed." Ghent says the engine
package that will be used in the Roush cars this weekend is very
similar to the one used at California. "We did not see a need to
change from that package that we ran at California," added Ghent.
However he did say that a few extra precautions would be in order for
the 600-mile race. "The one thing to watch is that we will probably be
a little more conservative with the tune-up," said Ghent. "We'll
probably want to use a little more fuel and keep the pistons a little
cooler for that extra 100 miles that we are going to put on them for
Sunday night. Ghent went on to add that like any race problems were
possible, but that it most likely would not be due to the length of
the race. "We don't expect problems, and that is based on the wear and
tear characteristics of the components that we have. If there is a
problem, it probably is due to a weak part that might have broken in a
500-mile race as well as a 600 mile race."

5/24/02

Kurt Busch's Official Statement On
NASCAR's Ruling NASCAR handed down a $10,000 fine to Roush Racing
driver Kurt Busch for his post-race comments after last Saturday's
all-star Winston event. "This is an expensive lesson," said Busch,
just before qualifying on Thursday afternoon at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
"I hope I never get another lesson like this." Busch and the No. 97
Rubbermaid team are busy preparing for this Sunday's Coca-Cola 600.
Busch, who is currently third in the Winston Cup point standings said
that he is looking forward to putting the incident behind him and
moving on to this Sunday's race. Neither Kurt Busch nor Roush Racing
plan to appeal the ruling.

5/24/02

Scenes from Carb Day at Indy
by Earl Ma/BRG

5/24/02

The best don't always win
This Jim Litke
article pretty much sums up the situation in Indy Car racing.
Guys with deep pockets are around at the end because they can afford
to lose every battle and still win most wars of attrition.

5/24/02

Manning eyes CART ride Darren
Manning is hoping an impressive performance in the current ASCAR
season could secure him a Champ Car drive. The BAR test driver has
been told he must acquire more oval experience to break through into
the CART series. Manning therefore joined Jason Plato at the
Bintcliffe Sport team in the ASCAR series, which takes place on the
oval circuits - Rockingham and European Motor Speedway. Manning told
Ananova ahead of this weekend's round in Germany: "I am seriously
looking at a way into Champ Car. That could be through NASCAR, ASCAR
or the new ERL (European Racing League). "I've been chatting to
a few teams in America and they've all been saying, 'you're street
racing is fine but you would need more experience of oval racing'.

5/24/02

Indy 500, REAL numbers please
Dear AutoRacing1.com, The IRL and ESPN announced (Quote) "the
estimated total distribution for the 86th Indianapolis 500 will reach
more than 200 countries and 325 million households worldwide". There
is something very wrong with these numbers: How can you reach more
than 200 countries in the world, where there are not even 200
countries. According to the United Nations website the UN-membership
count stands at 189. Non-members of the UN are Switzerland and the
Holy See (Vatican City) and of course the youngest country in the
world, East Timor. That brings the total count of countries in the
world to 192. Don't be fooled by the "CIA World Factbook 2001" which
lists (Quote) "267 nations, dependant areas, other and miscellaneous
entries". Among many others, the CIA lists the Palmyra Atoll (part of
the USA), the Isle of Man (Great Britain), the uninhabited Bouvet
Island (Norway), the Arctic and Atlantic Ocean as countries.
Nevertheless, under "Heads of State" the CIA lists 195 countries. That
said, let's take a look at the real possible numbers of countries
where the Indy 500 may be seen: There are roughly 50 Countries in
Africa, most of them with only 1 or 2 channels and local programming.
They don't care about the Indy 500 in Timbuktu or Mombasa (and not
many people own a tv set). That reduces the number of countries to
roughly 150 (with the concession that 5 or so African stations might
carry it). States of former Soviet Union: Total of 14 countries where
I have never seen an autorace being broadcast live or time delayed in
full length (and I worked there for 10 months). Count is down to 136.
Same with the states of the former Eastern Bloc (like Bulgaria,
Romania, Mongolia etc). Down to 130. Look at the world map and count
the remote islands (Tonga for example), which have no tv station or 1
or 2 at best. Also: No interest, because many of the few people living
there don't know that something like the Indy 500 exists. There's a
whole bunch of those remote islands. Count is down to 100 countries.
What about the Saudia Arabian states, or Nepal or..... The real figure
where the Indy 500 can possibly be seen is closer to something like 70
at best. Now do your own math: How many TV stations in those countries
can afford to pay the license fee for a live broadcast? In how many
countries is the Indy 500 exclusively on Pay-TV (like Germany, where
Premiere has only about 2,4 to 2,5 million subscribers compared to
roughly 40 million households)? I only ask ESPN to give us the real
numbers, please. Arnold G., Germany

5/24/02

Not everything going IRL's way
The IRL might be on a roll right now with the addition of Honda to its
series, and there's no disputing they hit a homerun with that
announcement. However, what's being played down are the two
loses they had during the same time. Ford backed out of a deal
to also be in the IRL, and today we learn that Lola has told the IRL
no as well. It remains to be seen how this all plays out, and
whether CART will bounce back from this recent turn of events, but we
hear Chris Pook still has a few tricks up his sleeve. Let the
games begin.....

5/24/02

Verstappen loses Arrows case
According to this ITV-F1 article,
Jos Verstappen has lost his court case against Arrows over a
contract dispute. The Dutch racer was released by Arrows at
the start of the year after Heinz-Harald Frentzen was chosen
to drive for the team. Arrows have denied the court case was
over Vertstappen’s supposed 2002 deal. Instead, the team says
the dispute was over money Verstappen feels he should have
been paid for last season. A statement from the team read:
"Arrows has not had any claim made against it by Verstappen in
respect to Arrows’ termination of Verstappen’s driving
contract. "Verstappen did bring a claim against Arrows for
monies he believed were owed from 2001, which the court
rejected. In those proceedings, the court was also satisfied
that Arrows had its own valid damages claim against Verstappen
for breach of contract." Arrows have reportedly counter-sued
Verstappen for comments made about team-mate Enrique Bernoldi
which scuppered a major sponsorship deal.

5/24/02

Barnhart warns no-blocking
In this Star news article,
Indy Racing League vice president Brian Barnhart, who heads
competition, abruptly ended the 90-minute session and stormed out of
the room when the drivers wouldn't stop arguing about alleged blocking
in past races, particularly last year's 500 at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway. A driver is considered blocking when he leaves his normal
racing line to prevent a specific opponent from passing. "There's
holding on every play in the NFL and a foul on every possession in the
NBA," said Barnhart after the Carburetion Day practice ended. "Part of
refereeing is to judge what's going on, to see who's gaining the
advantage. "But if (the drivers) want to run the risk of blocking,
they'll have to pay the price."

5/24/02

Monaco Thursday driver-by-driver analysis

Jarno Trulli (1): "The handling is great,
and still more speed to find. I was able to push straight away".
Jenson Button (10): "Pretty good, although the car isn't perfect with
some understeer. More time to come". More....

Penske's finger's all over Honda IRL
move
In this ESPN.com article,
Robin Miller paints a scenario that says Penske's fingerprints are all
over these deals and it's not surprising considering he's always one
step ahead of the posse. Or, as former driver Danny Sullivan once so
eloquently put it "When the music stops, Roger always has a chair."
And while it's still hard to imagine Penske helping to torpedo the
series he helped start and fund, don't lose sight of the fact The
Captain always does what's best for The Captain. He's still a huge
shareholder in Bill France's International Speedway Corporation and
ISC is married to Tony George. CART should have seen it coming. After
its sweep at Indy last May, Penske protested against running a full
page ad in USA Today. One of his lieutenants said R.P. didn't want to
throw it in Tony's face and now that all makes sense.

5/24/02

Honda played CART like a fiddle
It's quite apparent that Honda played CART like a fiddle the past six
months. Let's replay the events:

1. We won't be racing at all in the
USA in 2003

2. We don't like the low-tech 3.5 L
IRL engines

3. Will will only do a 3.5 L N/A
engine if it is IRL ++ meaning higher tech

4. CART is mending the fences with
us, and we like their higher-tech series

5. If it makes business sense we
will be in the IRL and CART, but not before 2003

6. Today Honda announces they will
be in the IRL, not in 204, but in 2003! Honda announces they
will only be in the IRL, not in CART.

7. Today Honda announces an IRL race
at its track in Motegi, Japan, and one has to wonder if CART will be
invited back.

So why did Honda play CART like a fiddle,
turn around and abandon a series they supported for so long and one
they pooh-pooed for so long, even though both Robert Clarke and Tom
Elliott made recent statements in the press more favorable to CART?
Perhaps it was the way CART handled last years pop-off valve
situation. Or perhaps it was because CART went the IRL engine
route against Honda's wishes, and after the CART imposed deadline.
As they say, paybacks are sometimes a bitch. While we're sure
there is more to their decision than that, on the surface, it
certainly appears that way.

5/23/02

Team Penske wins pitstop competition
Marlboro Team Penske and driver Helio Castroneves won the Coors Indy
500 Pit Stop Challenge on May 23 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,
the record seventh victory for Penske Racing in the annual
Indianapolis 500 contest that showcases the work of race pit crews.
2001 Indianapolis 500 winner Castroneves and Marlboro Team Penske
defeated Target Chip Ganassi Racing and driver Jeff Ward in the final.
Marlboro Team Penske changed four tires and completed a simulated
fueling of the No. 3 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone
driven by Castroneves in 8.555 seconds. Target Chip Ganassi Racing
finished similar service for Ward’s No. 22 Target Chip Ganassi Racing
G Force/Chevrolet/Firestone in 10.3433 seconds. The team earned
$42,500 for the victory, with $5,000 of that sum donated to the
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Indiana Chapter. “It’s a team sport, and
I tell you, it’s fantastic to have this special win,” Castroneves
said. “The Indy 500 is the best race in the world, and for these guys
here, winning Indy is good, too. But for these guys to win this, it’s
tops. They’re the ones doing everything; I’m just pushing the brakes
and leaving the pits.” While this was a record-setting win for Penske
Racing, it was the first for the team since 1988. The other victories
came in 1981-83 and 1985-86. Bobby Unser and Danny Sullivan went on to
win the Indianapolis 500 three days after Penske Racing won this
contest in 1981 and 1985, respectively. “It’s a great momentum builder
for the race,” Penske Racing President Tim Cindric said. “We thank
everyone for the opportunity to do this for the crews because they get
their day in the sun, and believe me, they put their effort in to make
eight-second stops every time. They don’t just happen; they’ve worked
hard all week.” Marlboro Team Penske produced three consecutive
eight-second stops to earn the victory. Castroneves edged teammate Gil
de Ferran and the other half of the Marlboro Team Penske crew in the
semifinals with a time of 8.7355 seconds. de Ferran and his crew were
clocked at 9.7465. In the quarterfinals of the 12-car competition,
Castroneves defeated 2000 Indy Racing League champion Hemelgarn Racing
and 1996 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Lazier. Castroneves and crew
were clocked at 8.9355; Lazier and crew at 11.9955. Castroneves and
Marlboro Team Penske received a first-round bye.. IRL

5/23/02

IRL to race in Japan
The Indy Racing League and Twin Ring Motegi, north of Tokyo, have
entered into a three-year agreement for the league to conduct its
first races outside of the United States, it was announced today. The
first race will be in 2003 at a date to be announced later. “Now that
the Indy Racing League has a stable schedule in the United States, we
are pleased to take racing based on the heritage of the Indianapolis
500 Mile Race to Japan,” said Tony George, president and CEO of the
Indy Racing League and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “It is especially
fitting that our first international venue will be at Twin Ring
Motegi, one of the finest ovals in the world.” George and a delegation
of Indy Racing League executives visited Twin Ring Motegi in April to
observe the 1.5-mile track under racing conditions. “We were very
impressed by the facility and by the interest of the track’s
management team in having a League event at Twin Ring Motegi,” George
said. “We expect this to be an excellent partnership.” One of the
newest racetracks in Japan, Twin Ring Motegi (Tochigi Prefecture) was
established in August 1997. In addition to the American-style oval on
which the Indy Racing League will compete, Twin Ring Motegi has a
European-style road course of 2.8 miles. Since its opening, Twin Ring
Motegi has been a venue for many major motorsports events. Built in
picturesque natural surroundings, Twin Ring Motegi offers many
exciting motorsports programs for race fans. The facility also hosts a
luxury hotel and the Honda Collection Hall, exhibiting many Honda
products playing an important role in the automaker’s history. The
Indy Racing League is an all-oval, open-wheel series with 15 events in
14 U.S. markets in 2002. Its premier event, the Indianapolis 500-Mile
Race, will take place Sunday, May 26, with television coverage
starting at 11 a.m. (EDT) on ABC. IRL

5/23/02

Kanaan fastest on Carb Day
CART driver Tony Kanaan was the fastest driver during Coors Carb Day
practice for the 86th Indianapolis 500 today with a top lap of 39.8667
seconds, 225.752 mph in the No. 17 Hollywood Mo Nunn Racing G
Force/Chevrolet/Firestone. 2001 Indy Racing League champion Sam
Hornish Jr. was second at 39.9504, 225.279 in the No. 4 Pennzoil
Panther Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone. 1999 IRL champion Greg Ray was
third at 40.0045, 224.975 in the No. 11 A.J. Foyt Racing/Harrah's
Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone. Quotes

5/23/02

Dallenbach wins $11 million lawsuit
NASCAR driver Wally Dallenbach, who claimed Darwin Oordt's failure as
a team owner ''ruined my racing career and completely changed my
life,'' has won a reported $11.3 million judgment. That is the size of
the settlement being reported by media in Charlotte, N.C., where the
breach-of-contract suit was heard. Dallenbach yesterday told The
Tennessean the figure ''is in that area.'' The judgment, if it stands,
is believed to be the largest of its kind in NASCAR history. ''All I
can say is that I'm glad it's over and I think that the judgment
speaks for itself,'' Dallenbach said. ''I signed a three-year contract
to drive for Darwin, and when we got to Daytona [in 2001] he didn't
have a car. I had passed up a lot of other driving opportunities,
counting on that ride. ''When Darwin's deal fell apart, it ruined my
racing career and completely changed my life. I had a family to raise,
bills to pay and no income.''
The Tennessean

5/23/02

Sadler to replace Mast
Hermie Sadler will replace ailing driver Rick Mast this weekend in the
Donlavey Racing Ford Taurus, according to car owner Junie Donlavey.
Mast said he has not felt good physically for several weeks and is
undergoing tests to determine the cause. The doctors have recommended
he step out of driving at least for this weekend's Coca-Cola Racing
Family 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Mast competed in The Winston
qualifying races last Saturday night at the Charlotte track.

5/23/02

SPEED Channel announces NASCAR plans
for 2nd-half
As the first half of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series race season hits
the backstretch, SPEED Channel is setting up for two tires and gas at
the break, signing Michael Waltrip to fill in for big brother Darrell
on SPEED’s live Friday night race preview Trackside with Larry
McReynolds and Jeff Hammond. Veteran motor sports broadcaster Mike Joy
will step in as host of Trackside, taking the second-half handoff from
Steve Byrnes, who is committed to Totally NASCAR for the remainder of
the season. The pair will share Trackside hosting duties again in
2003. “Michael will be a great addition to Trackside, keeping the seat
warm for Darrell and bringing his own personality to the group,” said
SPEED Channel president Jim Liberatore. “Darrell has made the
commitment to his family to limit his travel over the second half of
the season, but we expect he will be popping his head in with us from
time to time as the season moves along. “This also gives fans a unique
opportunity to get Michael’s perspective before each race weekend and
then hear his post-race analysis on Monday’s Inside Winston Cup.
Michael Waltrip will join the team as a “drop-in” guest on this
Friday’s edition of Trackside, broadcast live from the middle of Speed
Street festivities in uptown Charlotte, N.C.. His will assume his
regular seat on the show in July for the NASCAR Winston Cup race at
Chicagoland Speedway. Look for live NASCAR programming to continue on
SPEED Channel during the second half of the season, with live coverage
tentatively scheduled for 11 qualifying rounds and 12 editions of
Winston Cup Happy Hour. SPEED Channel, the nation’s fastest growing
sports cable network, is the first and only 24-hour cable network
devoted exclusively to motor sports and the human fascination for
speed. In addition to extensive original NASCAR programming, SPEED
Channel is home to much of the world’s marquee racing events including
CART, F1, Classic Cars, LeMans, the American LeMans Series, World
Rally and car shows from around the globe. Currently seen in more than
51 million homes, SPEED Channel was acquired by Fox Cable Networks
Group in July 2001.

5/23/02

Walkinshaw drops rugby Tom
Walkinshaw, who is the head of Formula One team Arrows and owns
Gloucester rugby club, has resigned from his post heading up Premier
Rugby. He will be replaced by Charles Jillings, of the Harlequins
club, for a two-year term.

5/23/02

ABC show ad to appear on FOX
Stanton Barrett will be carrying a unique new sponsor in the NASCAR
Busch Grand National race Saturday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway near
Charlotte. Barrett, driver of the Bojangles’/OdoBan Ford, has been
nominated for a World Stunts Award, a worldwide program that honors
the best in movie and television stunt work. The awards show will be
televised live worldwide by ABC Saturday night. Because of his work in
Jurassic Park III, Barrett was nominated in the Best Water Work
category. Other movies nominated are Apocalypse Now Redux, American
Outlaws, The Animal and Rush Hour 2. ABC’s telecast of the World Stunt
Awards will be on the rear deck lid of Barrett’s car during Saturday’s
Busch Grand National race at the 1.5-mile speedway. Most observers
feel this is the first time a major network show has been a sponsor on
a race car for an event televised by a second major network.

5/23/02

Earnhardt autopsy photo update
Whether records that were once open to public scrutiny can be sealed
retroactively was the key issue between attorneys arguing both sides
of the Dale Earnhardt autopsy photo debate before an appeals court
today. "The right exists when the record is created," insisted Tom
Julin, a Miami attorney representing The Independent Florida
Alligator, a student-run newspaper in Gainesville. The Alligator wants
the 5th District Court of Appeal to reverse a ruling last year by
Circuit Judge Joseph Will that sealed the Earnhardt photos. The
Florida Legislature then adopted a new law restricting access to such
photos. Theresa Earnhardt attended the hour-long hearing, along with
an entourage of attorneys and media relations specialists. She
declined to talk before or after the hearing, during which only
attorneys were allowed to argue their respective points before the
three-judge panel. The appeals judges could rule anytime from a week
to six months or could pass the issue on to the Florida Supreme Court.
Daytona Beach News Journal

5/23/02

Sadler trying to get out of Wood
Brothers contract early Elliott Sadler, who announced several
weeks ago that he would like to leave the Wood Brothers team at the
end of the season, said Wednesday he made a proposal aimed at settling
his contract with the team. Sadler said he had offered to give up his
half of the team’s winnings between now and the end of the season.
"That way the team would have more money to hire a good driver," said
Sadler, who added he hoped co-owners Eddie and Len Wood would accept
his proposal by Friday.

5/23/02

DEI employee charged
Joseph George Katula III, of Concord, NC, has been charged with seven
counts of felony larceny by employee in the theft of $500 worth of
auto parts from the racing enterprise, Iredell Sheriff Phil Redmond
said this morning. He was taken to Iredell County Jail on a $10,000
bond and has a June court date. Katula started working at Dale
Earnhardt Inc. nine months ago, Redmond said. Katula worked in the
shop area rebuilding rear axle gears, the sheriff said. The owner of a
local used parts store called DEI when a man sold auto parts to the
owner for $1,000. The owner wanted to make sure the man had permission
to sell the DEI items, Redmond said. Rex Garrett, a DEI supervisor,
found that the parts had been stolen, the sheriff said. Sheriff's
Detective Sgts. Allen Sipes and Neil Hayes arrested and charged Katula
this week. ThatsRacin.com

5/23/02

Hakkinen still ponders comeback
Former champion Mika Hakkinen has not ruled out a Formula One comeback
next season and expects to drive for McLaren if he does return. But
the Finn is in no hurry to make his mind up. "I do have quite a few
weeks still before making a decision," he told reporters at Monte
Carlo. "Let's see how the weekend goes. There's plenty of time, I'm
not getting stressed about it," he added.

5/23/02

New Cosworth CART engine hits dyno
Cosworth Racing has secured its future involvement in American Racing
with the announcement of a new engine program for 2003 and beyond. The
Cosworth XG - a derivative of the 2000 CART Manufacturer's
Championship winning Cosworth XF - will make its debut in CART at the
beginning of the 2003 season and development work on the new
powerplant is currently running ahead of schedule. The XG program will
sit alongside Cosworth's other major activities, which include; F1,
WRC, Motorbike racing and the Commercial Engineering Group.
More

5/23/02

Motorola
predicts rise in cell phone shipments Motorola, the world's
second-largest mobile phone maker, on Tuesday said that it expected
2002 global cellular phone shipments of 420 million for the industry,
up from about 400 million sold in 2001. "We haven't seen anything
since our last earnings call that would change that at this point in
time," Motorola chairman and chief executive Christopher Galvin said
at the Lehman Brothers wireless conference here. Mr. Galvin also said
that he still expected a second-quarter loss of 4 cents a share,
excluding special items, on sales of US$6.3 billion to US$6.4 billion.
He reiterated the company's expectation of posting a profit in the
third quarter and said that he still expected Motorola to post a
profit of 4 cents for the full year even though sales were expected to
decline 5 per cent to 10 per cent from last year's US$29.5 billion.
Reuters

5/23/02

CART's failure to announce final engine
manufacturers makes Toyota ponders its exit
CART still has not announced it's final engine rules for 2003.
In addition, no CART teams have committed to buying Toyota engines for
2003. These two issues, and others, have led Toyota to balk at
its involvement in CART next year. White said Toyota has begun a
joint study with NASCAR to determine the feasibility of entering the
Craftsman Truck Series. No decision on that is imminent. White said
the company must decide by mid-summer whether to continue with the
CART program it started in 1996. Toyota needs paying customers and
marketable on-track competition to stay. "It has to make business
sense and it has to make marketing sense," White said. "We're still
looking for both of those." From what AutoRacing1.com
understands, CART has to finalize exactly what companies will supply
engines in 2003. We expect that final announcement in June.
Then, per CART's new rules, each manufacturer must announce who it's
two 'factory' or preferred teams, are. This new rule prevents a
single manufacturer from signing all the best teams. Then, after
all 'factory' teams are chosen, the rest of the teams go into a hat
and divided equally among all manufacturers. All teams get equal
engines, but the factory teams are, in the manufacturers opinion,
their best teams in terms of the ability to win races. MC

Montreal wall moved back
According to reports, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal has
had a much-needed facelift to its daunting final corner. The so-called
'Bienvenue a Quebec' corner, scene of many a Grand Prix driver's
demise, has had its infamous wall moved a meter back from the original
racing line. Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello and
Nick Heidfeld remember their Montreal-headaches well - and Jacques
Villeneuve, home-town hero, has buried his mount in the
Quebec-concrete more times than any. 'I've hit it enough times,
anyway', said a bemused Jacques, 'So I'll stay far away from that
one'. Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari driver, says he loves the city and
circuit in Montreal. 'I love going to Montreal', he said. 'Since I
went there first it was great, I love the city, the atmosphere at the
Grand Prix is great and I particularly like the track'. After the
Monaco winner sprays his champagne, the Formula One circus will
prepare to cross the Atlantic for the annual Canadian Grand Prix.

AutoRacing1 is an
independent internet online publication and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed
by CART Inc., NASCAR, FIA, FedEx, Winston, or any other series sponsor. This material may not be published,
broadcast, or redistributed without permission.User agreement
& disclaimer